Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-07-09
THE PITCHERS ART.
curves, Shoots. Raises. and Drvp,
from the Box

Curves, shoots. Raises and Drops
from the Box.
1t was by slow stages. writes T. II.
Murnane to The Boston GLobe. that the
present high standing Of the pitchers :
art was attained. Arthur Cummings
Brooklyn youth. was the first to
bring into Use the out curve. He was
known as the boy wonder, back in
1869, with the Stars, of BROOKLYN. |
have heard him tell how he first dis
( covered the curve. He was pitchino
against picked nine one dav and no.
ticed the ball curving. He had no d!f
iicuIty in striking the batsmen out and
went home that night and tried TO
study out the phenomenon. The next
Jay ne invited some gentlemen friends
OUT TO see him work. They laughed at
him. and when he tried to convince
them that he could accomplish what he
claimed, he failed - no doubt in his
anxiety he sent the ball too fast. and
very little curve can he rot on speedy
pitched ball He was not discouraged.
however. but went out with his catch
er the next day and learned that tine
curve came from certain twist he
gave his wrist. He worked hard until
he got good control OF the new move
and then astOniShed the scientific
world. Cummings was of sliuht buIld.
MS pitching was very graceful. and his
curve was of the sailing kind. much
Ike Caruthers' of the St. Louis
Browns
In 1872 Avery. the famous Yale
pitcher. discovered the ..in-shoot" |
don't think he could curve a ball. at
least L never saw him do it. and hit
against h 5 pitching several times. II ;
Effectiveness was handicapped by the
inability OF his catchers, to hold HIM.
Is without doubt, the "in-shoot" is
she most difficult ball to handle. for in
hose days the catchers We're not pro-
ected with gloves and masks.
Fred Nichols. better know as '.Trickv
Nick, was the first to make good use
Of the drop ball He was great puz-
Ile to the heavy hitters in 1876. At
Bridgeport and New Haven, Conn.
Nichols got coed drop on the ball.
when pitchers had to keep their hand
below the belt, which would puzzle anv
of our twirlers OF the present dav TO
accomplish.
Matthews was undoubtedly the first
pitcher TO work the raise ball. as far
oack as 1869. never saw him pitch
an out-curve until 1873, and faced
his pitching for several years before
that. In 1873 Matthews was with the
WorceSters, and pitched against the
Bostons. defeating them. He had
changed his style altogether from pre-
yious years and adopted one arm Dalv's
style. that is, making a double motion
by drawing back before delivering the
ball. With his handwork and the add
ton of the curve he jumped into the
front ranks once more.
The next ball that seemed TO bother
the batters was introduced by McCor-
MEX, of the Stars. of Syracuse. This
Young pitcher had Mike Dorcan, now
of the New YOrks, for catcher. They
shut out about all the crack clubs of
the country that paid them visit. The
ball he deceived the batsman with was
a raise curve, now used by Radbourn.
Of the BostOns. He gave his field easy
the Out-tield had most of the
work to do off his pitching. never
saw him pich ball below 4 mans belt. |
He had perfect control of the ball and /
a cool head.
The curve drop was first worked by /
'the only Noland," at Columbus. O.. /
IN 1876. For several seasons he fooled /
the best batSmen.
All these different curves, raises. /
shoots. and drops were discovered br /
lifferent people. 1t is now no unusual /
hing to find n pitcher with all these /
points and many more wrinkles that thev I
keep working up. Change of pa,e was |
most beautifully Illustrated bv Al Spal- /
ling in the Old Boston champions. /
Tim keefe. OF the New Yorks. is now 4
he most successful in that line. while
Clarkson, OF the Chicagos, is also work
ne the change of pace 10 good advant-
Ige. viii White and John Ward were
about the first to work the sharp curve
md 'in-shOot' as far back as 1878.
)ne OF the greatest pitchers, if not the
greatest that ever twirled a ball. was
harley Sweeney, who was with the
Providence club in lS73-74. He was the
irst and only man that l ever saw who
,ould curve an out ball to left hand
'atsman. Several of the pitchers can
ret shoot, but his was clean curve.
lie has the unequaled record. up to the
present day, of nineteen strike-outs in
me game.